It Happened Over Time
by KazenoShun
Summary: It was his fault... if he hadn't stormed out like that maybe she wouldn't be hurt. But now he had a decision to make... leave her to die or admit to the feelings he's been denying for so long. SM one-shot set after the end of the original anime.


_A/N: This is a one-shot I wrote to aaccompany a picture I posted on DA. I decided to upload it here for more people to enjoy._

_Disclaimer: Sailor Moon (C) Naoko Takeuchi, I own nothing._

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"Star Serious Laser!"

Uranus watched as the monster in front of her disappeared in a flash of brilliant blue light. The monster had been so close to killing her, she was having trouble believing she was still alive. Then she tried to stand and discovered that she was still very much alive and very much unable to walk.

Seiya heard Uranus groan as he let his Sailor transformation dissolve. He knew she was injured. The monster had spit acid at her during the battle, and although she'd jumped out of the way Seiya was certain the monster hadn't missed entirely. He slowly opened his eyes and turned to look at Uranus were she was sitting on the ground with her face twisted into a painful grimace. Seiya could see that the acid spit was beginning to eat through her boots and would soon start burning her feet. He winced as a simple movement of her foot caused her to gasp with pain. That was his fault, he knew. In fact, the whole darn thing was his fault. If only he hadn't started arguing with her during the dinner Kakyuu and Serenity had arranged for their respective teams. If only he hadn't stormed out of the palace and into the night. Darn it all! If he'd even taken two seconds to warn Uranus about the monster's acid spit, then maybe, maybe she wouldn't be in this state. She wouldn't be sitting there looking vulnerable. If he'd only warned her then they could have finished the monster and returned to their state of mutual respect and rivalry. But he hadn't warned her, and now he had a decision to make. He could choose to help her and risk admitting to the strange feelings that had been building inside of him for years. Or he could leave her to her fate and see if she survived. Of course, she'd end up hating him if he left her and she survived. After all, if her feet weren't treated soon the effects of the acid would set into her bones, leaving her unable to walk ever again.

Seiya chewed his bottom lip, trying to decide what to do. It didn't matter to him if she hated him, did it? But... what if she didn't survive? She was his rival, a Sailor Senshi whose fighting ability he greatly respected, she was the reason he looked forward to the meetings between their teams. He lived for their sparing matches. If he lost her... He didn't know what he'd do if he lost her. She was his greatest rival, and his best friend. She knew his strengths and weaknesses almost as well as she knew her own, and he knew hers. His mouth fell open as he realized that he wouldn't... couldn't leave her to her fate. Somehow, over the past few years, through their scuffles and fights, he'd fallen in love with her.

Uranus groaned again and Seiya turned his attention back to her, hurrying to her side to assess how much damage the monster's spit had done.

Uranus watched Seiya through a pain-filled haze as he quickly assed the damage to her feet and tried to calculate the time it would take to return to the palace. She found his presence strangely comforting, like nothing else could happen to her so long as he was nearby. She knew that, sometime during the last few years, she'd stopped resenting his ability to protect her princess when she herself had failed. She'd come to respect his abilities as a Senshi and looked forward to sparing with him. She realized that, somehow, she'd fallen in love without noticing.

She squeaked with surprise as Seiya suddenly and unexpectedly picked her up, carefully lifting her off the battle-torn ground. She didn't protest, however, but rather rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes, trying to fight back tears. She trusted Seiya not to dump her in some random, obsolete area.

Seiya was surprised by Haruka's lack of resistance, but glad of it nonetheless. He waited until she settle into his arms before he began hiking upwards. It didn't take long before he could see his destination. The monster had surprised them partway up the mountain and now Seiya could see the battle-ground a short distance below. Carefully, trying not to disturb Uranus, he maneuvered his way over to a thick wall of vines. It took only a few more minutes to find the opening hidden by the vines and pass through a short tunnel. He felt Uranus lift her head as they neared the end of the tunnel, not quite asleep, apparently, but merely resting from the fight.

They emerged in a small clearing that was almost entirely filled by a tranquil pool glowing light blue. Seiya strode straight into the water. He remembered his predecessor teaching him of the healing properties of the pool's water, and hoped the water could heal Uranus's feet. It wasn't long before the glowing water began to lap at Uranus's toes, and to Seiya's relief she relax rather than gasping in pain. He carefully dipped her feet into the water, waiting for the healing properties to work their magic.

Uranus slowly became aware that the pain in her feet was fading, replaced by a pleasant warmth that spread from her feet to her belly and from there to the rest of her body. It took only a few minutes before the pain in her feet had vanished completely and she pulled her feet from the water to stare at the unmarred skin that now covered them. She'd been expecting burn marks at the least, but there was no evidence that the acid had ever been there. No evidence other than the fact that Seiya was holding her in his arms. Not a word had passed between them since the end of the fight. Uranus was almost afraid to break the silence, but decided that she needed to at least thank Seiya for carrying her to the pool. She turned her head to look at him, and suddenly found his lips upon hers as he gently kissed her.

Seiya would never tell why he kissed Uranus then, but secretly he admitted to himself that it was a response to the relief he felt when he saw that Uranus was going to be alright. All his previous worries suddenly seemed small and insignificant when he saw the new, unmarked skin on her feet. And when she turned toward him he found that he couldn't resist the urge to see what it felt like to kiss her.

It was surprisingly soft, he discovered, as she froze momentarily. He closed his eyes and felt her relax against him, finally kissing him back. They stayed like that for several minutes, locking their lips in a kiss that was nothing like either had experienced before. To them it felt like an eternity, and yet it was still over far to quickly. He slowly opened his eyes to stare into hers.

Uranus felt heat rising in her cheeks, and for the first time in her life she didn't care if she turned bright red, so long as she got to stay with Seiya and savor those last few moments for as long as possible. She stared into his eyes as a goofy grin spread across his face, a grin that, she was sure, matched her own. Slowly, she leaned back into his shoulder, one hand tracing patterned on the opposite should. "I suppose this means I can't threaten to kill you anymore," she murmured. Her smile widened as she felt Seiya's chuckles rumble through his chest. Ever so gently he carried her out of the water and set her down on the small beach, sitting next to her after gathering up the cloak he'd unfastened before entering the pool.

They stayed there through the night, exchanging kisses and gentle words. Their mutual respect for each other kept them from going beyond the simple kisses, as each wanted the blessing of the princesses before they continued. But they promised to wait together and to ask for the blessing as soon as possible. They fell asleep together, with Uranus detransforming to curl up next to Seiya with his cloak covering them both. They new they would still fight, but their fights would have a happier end now that they'd finally admitted to the feelings they'd denied for so long.


End file.
